We see it all the time in lessons…..student is working on a single target, and they just can’t seem to break 2 in a row. They will load 2 shells, go through their routine, and break the first bird, then immediately whip the gun back to their hold point and call for the second target. Resulting in a miss…..this generates a groan, headshake and generally a weak excuse of some sort. The shooter then does the same thing on the next 2 targets(!). I then ask if they are doing their routine before each….and I generally get a blank stare.I suggest they just load one shell at a time for awhile. Suddenly they are breaking 2-3-4-5 birds in a row. By loading one shell, they find it easier to remember to do their pre-shot routine before each shot, and they are actually practicing not only their shooting technique, but also reinforcing their routine. I find that perfecting the pre-shot routine is probably to most important part of practice for the intermediate to advanced competitor.

Have youever noticed that top shooters look very calm and focused while shooting? Generally, they intentionally do the same things in preparation to call for the birds….and that routine looks the same, pair after pair, on purpose! Think about it: if you were watching someone, and suddenly they changed what they were doing before calling “PULL’, you can probably bank on the fact that they would miss one or both birds! Pre-shot routine is the heart and soul of the mental game, and as soon as a shooting competitor achieves some basic gun handling skills, they should start to understand and develop their own routine. Here is what I do, and serves as a basis for what I teach my students.First, let me say that there are 3(!) routines that I go through while shooting. Now, don't worry, it’s not as complicated as you may fear. You are probably already doing most of this, but maybe not quite in this order...Lets just make the assumption we are looking at a crossing target....We start withThe Planning Routine….I make my plan the same way every time. I only need to do this once (assuming all goes well)...at the beginning of each station. I watch the show pair, I decide where I see them the clearest, and what detail I can make out on each bird. Once I determine the aforementioned, I now know the kill zone of my target. With the method that I generally employ, I take the gun halfway back to the place where I first see the bird clearly, (right out of the trap if I can see it there) and this is my hold point. I briefly decide whether I am going to insert the gun on the bird, thus connecting with the bird, or at some point in front of the target. My feet are aligned to the kill zone (if we are shooting pairs, I do this all for the second target, including knowing where I am going to look for the second bird, and whether I need to move my feet, or favor one bird or the other with my stance). The plan is done....we should not need to revisit this...Pre-Shot Routinetime...Every time I address a target (or pair), I do my dead level best, to follow this routine- I align my stance according to my plan.....as I drop the first shell into the chamber, I VERY BRIEFLY visualize the detail on the first bird that I will bring into focus. I'll do the same for the second target if its a pair. I then gently/calmly close my gun and move the muzzle to my hold point (that I prescribed in my plan). I then make sure my eyes are back to where I will first see the bird, calm them down and make them still, ..(the overriding feeling at this point is that I am mentally ‘out there’ being anticipating the target, vs. being ‘back here in the stand’ thinking about the mechanics of the shoot)..and call for the bird. If at any point before I call for the target I catch myself thinking about other things, I STOP, and break the gun open and start over. ...after the shells are fired, we go through the last part…The Post Shot Routine….. This is critical. You simply ask yourself, whether you hit the bird or not, whether the target was in crisp focus when the gun went off? Depending on the honest answer you give yourself, you make adjustments as needed. Be sure you are settled and committed to your plan, and then start over again on your pre-shot routine for the next pair.

This all seems very long and drawn out, when you type it out....done properly, it takes seconds. The key is doing it ALL THE TIME....in practice and on RACE DAY. If you don’t do it during practice, you won’t be able to stick with it during a tournament. Most folks are screwing up by carrying the planning routine over into the pre-shot routine. They are still thinking about what they are going to do, when they call for the bird, which leads to trying to see the ‘plan’ develop during the shot. Which means measuring the shot. This is a bad thing. When the shooter calls for the bird, the only thing they should be doing from that point on is trying clearly to see the bird, and let your technique come out subconsciously. Frankly, most of my practice is basically practicing my routine, so that it is happening automatically without effort.This probably will lead to more questions, which is fine, but let this sink in first,..........be introspective and ask yourself if you are doing any of these things? and if so, in what order? The order is critical. Don’t gloss over that, just like you can’t do your routine ‘sometimes’..... You have to do it all the time. If you are just starting this process, start working on and implementing the planning routine, as it is certainly the most important. Get your planning routine in order and comfortable before moving to implementing a pre shot routine, and then in turn the post shot analysis.

**There is certainly more that we can talk about regarding this subject, but this is the nuts and bolts. We have developed this outline thru working with Henry Hopking of the Brain Training Company Get The Mental Edge | Mental Training for Athletes . We can certainly tweak things to work best for the individual shooter, but this framework will get you started in the right direction. If you want to delve deeper into the mental game for sporting clays, feel free to contact us!